This is the nice surprise of these qualifications in Austin: Alpine made his return to Q3 and even equalled his best qualifying result thanks to Pierre Gasly. The Frenchman took 7th place on the grid for the United States GP, his best starting position since the Spanish GP last June. An almost unexpected performance in the French clan, but above all reassuring. Indeed, the Norman is equipped with the latest developments on the A524 in Texas, unlike Esteban Ocon (13th, eliminated in Q2). Proof that the new features are working? In any case, Pierre Gasly was happy with his performance at the end of Q3.
🎙️"It's really encouraging"
7th position on the grid for Pierre Gasly, who benefits from developments on his Alpine this weekend 💪#USGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/KafBcIKoix
— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) October 19, 2024
"We tried to learn a little bit more about the car, he confided to the microphone of Canal+ after the qualifications in Austin. After the race [on Saturday] and [Friday's practice], we made quite a few changes to the set-up. I have to say it was definitely better. I felt a lot more comfortable, I managed to do a few good laps. The car was better to drive, I had more control. That's really encouraging. Seventh, we're behind the four fastest cars. The gaps to Russell and Piastres are very tight. We take what we can take. We will have to go and get points [during the Grand Prix] and confirm this good result."
Points, Pierre Gasly and Alpine need them in the fight for the Constructors' Championship against Williams. The French team has not finished in the Top 10 since the Dutch GP and is now three points behind the British team for 8th place in the Constructors' standings. The Norman has a good card to play this Sunday, even if theAlpine still seems a little behind on the race pace.
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Yves-Henri RANDIER
20/10/2024 at 12:58 a.m.
Positive developments on the single-seater ... or has the king of cheats, Il Magnifico Flavio, found something that the other teams and the FIA have not yet found?